Sebastien Chen is The Man Behind Contemporary Gallery Carré d’artistes Singapore - Men's Folio
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Sebastien Chen is The Man Behind Contemporary Gallery Carré d’artistes Singapore

  • By Bryan Goh

Sebastien Chen Is the Brains Behind Contemporary Gallery Carré d’artistes
You might be thinking, another contemporary gallery for MOMA canvas tote bag wielding millenials or housewives with too much time? However, what if we told you that Carré d’artistes isn’t just another gallery that curates the most promising new artists? What if we told you too, that it has been around for 20 years and has completely decimated all the notions that art is elitist?

Sebastien Chen Is the Brains Behind Contemporary Gallery Carré d’artistes
Garella 52 (France) — Garella began his professional career in the communication sector before becoming an independent artist, devoting his time to the development of his painting. The artist is constantly inspired by the surrounding nature, particularly in interpreting landscapes. The painter approaches his subject like a sensory experience and sculpts the material, captures the light, using acrylic paint, tubes, spatulas and paintbrushes to give birth to abstract, poetic and exalted compositions.

What if we told you that copping a piece from Carré d’artistes isn’t an entirely huge financial strain? After all, the gallery’s price system is based solely on the size of the artwork itself, regardless of who did it, the techniques and the medium. Think of it as a more contemporary way of purchasing just like how we encourage you to do it in the gallery — fondling them like vinyls in a record store.

Sebastian Chen, the managing director of Art & City certainly encourages you to do so. Here, in a short interview, he takes us through exactly what makes every piece important to him.


Sebastien Chen Is the Brains Behind Contemporary Gallery Carré d’artistes
Kikayou 55 (France) — Kikayou developed a passion for drawing, painting and sculpture at a young age. Derived from graffiti and tag, his quirky pictorial work encompasses an impressive panel of colours and plunges the viewer into an indescribable chaos but also an ode to a life full of promise and without constraint.

“For me, art brings about a lot of intangible benefits and is a way to share happiness and positivity. In this current difficult period, opening the art gallery is an opportunity to add to the quality of people’s daily lives by giving them access to a large choice of quality artworks that cater to all budgets. I am also thrilled to be promoting the works of talented and inspiring artists so that they can gain greater international recognition.”


Elena Raquena 45 — Elena Requena was drawn to the work of her father, the painter Juan José Requena. She spent her childhood under his tutelage, developing her own artistic muse. Her artistic individuality thrives with the exploration of landscapes, alongside its myriad of tones, shapes and textures. These paintings are intended to be metaphors for human emotions and reflect the artists’ unconditional love for nature.

“Two years ago, I was walking in Paris and Carré d’artistes gallery’s exterior got my attention and curiosity. When I visited it — as a total art novice — I discovered the concept and greatly appreciated the experience as well as the market approach, and thus, decided to bring the Carré d’artistes concept into Singapore. One artist particularly attracted my attention. Although I did not have any particular need to buy a painting, I was very willing to buy one from this artist. Today, I have two of his paintings in my home in Singapore.”

“We currently hold more than 1,000 pieces (paintings of various sizes as well as art objects) from more than 20 international artists in the gallery in Singapore.”

Sebastien Chen Is the Brains Behind Contemporary Gallery Carré d’artistes
Raphaële Lennoz 40 — Raphaële Lennoz was born into a family of veterinarians and grew up surrounded by animals. An animal lover, Raphaële focuses exclusively on the representation of the animal world that has always surrounded her. She combines humour and lightness (that come from her background in illustration) with a sharper caricaturist analysis of the animal kingdom. To give texture to her paintings, the artist places flat glass beads in the animals’ eyes.

“The team of curators in France is in charge of selecting artists (based on their originality and techniques) to be part of the network and to be exhibited in Carré d’artistes galleries. They also do the planning in agreement with the local gallery manager. Every month, one artist will be replaced to introduce a new one (starting from fall 2021). When we curate the pieces in the gallery, we take into account various factors such as diversity in style and subjects as well as market feedbacks to ensure people can find their loved piece(s).”

“I like all my artists because they are talented but have their own styles and characteristics. I like them because of the creativity of the artist or just because it evokes emotions when looking at them.”

Once you’re done with this story about Sebastian Chen’s move as the brains behind Carré d’artistes, click here to catch up with our May 2021 issue.